CHAPTER 62: CH 62: THE MAN IN WHITE - PART 2

Lucian stood silently, facing the boy in white.

The snowy hair, the unnerving black eyes with white pupils, and the quiet smile that never touched his lips all made Lucian’s instincts scream at him to run.

The boy tilted his head, and then he spoke.

"I am Belphegor, Demon King of Sloth."

Lucian’s heart thudded at the name. The moment the words left Belphegor’s lips, the system chimed in his head, its voice echoing with a cold precision.

[Mission parameters updated.]

Lucian wanted to pull up the window, to see exactly what changed, but he knew better than to let his guard drop in front of someone like this.

A Demon King was not the kind of opponent one could afford to ignore for even a second.

Belphegor gave a faint chuckle, his tone lazy, almost amused.

"Relax. I didn’t come here to fight. I came to propose something."

Propose?

Every instinct in Lucian screamed that this was dangerous. Deals with demons never ended well, especially when the other party was a king among them.

Still, Lucian forced his expression into something calm and neutral.

"We can talk."

Lucian said evenly.

"Good. But shouldn’t you invite me inside? Isn’t that how humans do it? Sit around a table, offer food, and pretend like enemies can be friends for a little while?"

Belphegor replied, his voice smooth. Then, without warning, he turned his head toward the village. His strange eyes narrowed slightly, and he smiled again.

Lucian’s jaw tightened.

"That’s something we do for guests. Not intruders."

He said.

The Demon King’s smirk widened, but it was impossible to tell whether he was amused or annoyed.

"Guest, intruder, enemy... such exhausting labels. Don’t you think?"

Lucian said nothing. His gut told him that pushing this creature too far could mean disaster.

It wasn’t about his own safety—he had ways to survive even a battle with a Demon King—but the village? The people who had only just begun to find hope again?

They wouldn’t last a second if Belphegor unleashed his power.

So, after weighing his options, Lucian exhaled slowly.

"Fine. You can enter."

Belphegor’s smile stretched faintly wider, like a cat who had just cornered its prey.

As the two walked toward the village, Lucian could feel the unease spreading like a ripple.

Every villager froze at the sight of the white-haired boy, their instincts whispering that something was terribly wrong with this stranger.

Some clutched their children closer. Others stepped aside without a word, bowing their heads as if afraid that even eye contact might draw his ire.

Berry noticed first. He was tending to the reception hall when he caught sight of the ominous figure beside Lucian. His face paled, and he hurried forward immediately.

"Lucian! Who is that? He feels wrong."

Berry hissed, keeping his voice low.

Lucian’s voice was steady, though his shoulders were tense.

"Our... guest. Show him to the reception room. I’ll be there shortly."

Berry opened his mouth to argue, then caught the warning look in Lucian’s eyes. He swallowed his words and nodded instead. Turning toward Belphegor, he bowed stiffly.

"This way, sir."

Belphegor chuckled, clearly entertained by the tension in the air.

"Don’t take too long. I bore easily... and when I’m bored, I tend to do things I shouldn’t."

He called lazily as Berry led him away.

The village seemed to freeze at his words. Lucian clenched his fists, fighting to keep calm. He couldn’t even tell if the Demon King was joking.

As soon as the door closed behind them, Lucian finally opened the system window.

[World Parameters Updated.]

Lines of text unfolded before his eyes:

[This world is the ground of eleven Demon Kings who reign in dominion, holding the balance between chaos and order.

Each Demon King repels what remains of the divine and wages war with the others to decide who will ascend as the ultimate sovereign.

The heavens have already fallen. Only war remains.

The Hero has been summoned to this world as a weapon for one Demon King.

However, the Hero escapes, only to find refuge in the largest human settlement.

That settlement, unknown to him, serves a Demon King through a hidden pact.]

Lucian’s brow furrowed. Eleven Demon Kings. So Belphegor was just one of many. And if the hero was destined to be dragged into their war...

The system offered no names, no specific directions. Just fragments, enough to paint the outlines of the story but not enough to tell Lucian exactly where to move next.

He closed the window and took a deep breath.

A dangerous truth was unfolding in front of him. If the system’s words were right, then the hero—someone who was supposed to save this world—was nothing but a pawn in a greater game.

Lucian looked toward the reception hall, where the Demon King of Sloth was waiting. His instincts screamed that stepping into that room was a mistake.

But his logic told him that leaving the Demon King unattended in the middle of his settlement was worse.

For now, he needed to make preparations for the future.

The description was vague, deliberately so, but one detail stood out.

’The hero escapes to the largest human settlement... only to fall under the control of a Demon King through a hidden pact. Then, what I need to do next is clear enough.’

It didn’t take much to connect the pieces. Based on his past life and the current circumstances, there was only one place that fit the description. His settlement. His valley.

Which meant the so-called "fate" would inevitably drag him into the center of this war, whether he wished it or not.

And if he was to fulfill the debt binding him to this world, he needed to advance that fate.

The key was obvious: forming a connection with a Demon King.

Lucian exhaled slowly, steeling his nerves before heading back toward the reception hall. He pushed the door open and immediately felt the atmosphere shift.

The air was thick, suffocating with tension. Belphegor lounged on a chair, his expression as calm as it was unreadable.

In front of him, Berry sat stiffly, hands clenched into fists on his knees, his back straight as though bracing himself against a storm.

Lucian stepped forward. The real conversation was about to begin.